Chapter 74 18. The soul fills the sky

About an hour or two later, Mutsu Yonosuke kicked off the quilt and sat up, and found that Sakamoto Ryoma was already sitting on the veranda. "Get ready, we're going out." Ryoma turned around and said.Mutsu and Toda hurried to the well to wash their faces. "Mr. Sakamoto is so easy." Mutsu said while wiping his face.Ryoma didn't have the habit of washing his face, and he slept with his clothes on. After getting up, he opened the rainproof window and went straight to the porch. "It should be too late." The two muttered, putting on their clothes and wearing both long and short knives.Ryoma and the others are going to Satsuma to visit Saigo and Okubo, and then go to Luobei Yancang Village to visit Iwakura Tomohiro.Ryoma believes that since the matter has developed to this point, it is necessary to win over the three great counselors who are the vanguard of the downfall, and then let them become the key figures in the establishment of the new government.Otherwise, the tide of revolution will be divided into the Sakamoto, Goto faction and the Iwakura, Saigo, and Okubo factions.

"It's time for me to quit." Ryoma said. Last night, hearing Ryoma's words, Mutsu was taken aback. "Please don't make such jokes!" he couldn't help shouting. Ryoma contributed to the alliance of Satsuma and Changzhou, directed the restoration of the great government, and now has formulated a new official system, so he should naturally become the core figure of the revolutionary government.However, he said that he would retire at this time and give up all the achievements to Iwakura, Saigo, Okubo and others. "You really want to leave everything to them?"

"Well. This is the way to achieve success. We are going to hand over the plan for the new official system to Iwakura-sama, and ask Iwakura-sama to study it. He should take into account the ideas of Saigo and Okubo." What Ryoma wants to say is that if this is not done, Iwakura, Saigo, and Okubo will form a faction within the new government, and eventually develop into a force that opposes the Dazheng Fenghuan faction.As a result, the reformation government proposed by Ryoma and Goto will be in vain.Xixiang is by no means the kind of person who would be frustrated because his credit was taken away, but it is unknown how the people around him and his subordinates will act, and how crazy they will push him to do.

"Let everything go to Xixiang and the others." Longma said seriously.If he regards himself as the mainstream of the revolution now, the regime will be split into two factions at the beginning of its birth, fighting each other, and eventually going to destruction. "I just wanted to bring Japan back to life. I never planned to flourish in the new Japan. Without this state of mind, you can't achieve great things. It is because I have always held this state of mind that the world will listen to me, a little vassal. Opinion. This is also the reason why this great cause can be achieved today."

He paused and then said: "It is enough to do eight points in the career. The process from zero to eight points is difficult, and the remaining two points can be completed by anyone. The remaining two points have to be done by others, and then Give him the credit for completing it. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to achieve great things.” Ryoma is now going to the Satsuma Mansion in Nihonmatsu, and handing over his eight-point career to Xixiang. When the situation was changing, an unexpected major event happened, which was related to the secret edict of discussing the curtain.

While Ryoma and Goto were rushing to return the great government, Iwakura, Saigo, and Okubo had been quietly mobilizing the emperor to issue a secret edict.No one expected that on the night when Qingxi expressed his determination, the secret edict was issued. Qingxi's statement was several hours early.Therefore, although the secret edict to discuss the curtain was in Yancang's hands, it became a piece of waste paper.Now that the general has returned the power and the shogunate is gone, the name of crusade against it no longer exists.Iwakura and the others made a false move, and the secret order born in the darkness was buried forever in another dark world.This means that the faction of fighting against the curtain by force has been tricked by Longma.

Iwakura asked his private secretary Yu Songcao to draft the secret edict very early on, and has been secretly doing the work of the former Dainagyan Zhongshan Zhongneng, hoping that he can turn the draft into a real secret edict. Zhongshan Zhongneng was neither Guan Bai nor regent, but his daughter was the biological mother of the young emperor, so he had a special status in the court.Since the birth of the young emperor, he has been living in Zhongshan Mansion.Zhongneng is his maternal grandfather and guardian. "As long as Zhong Nengqing holds the hand of the young emperor, picks up the jade seal and presses it lightly, this draft will be a veritable imperial edict." This is Yan Cang's wishful thinking, for which he tried his best to win over Zhong Neng.

"I will play by ear." Zhongneng replied to Iwakura.He's been waiting for the right moment.Finally, on the afternoon of October 13th, Zhongneng held the hand of the young emperor, and pressed a bright red seal on the document drafted by Yu Songcao. "The two secret edicts have been completed, please send someone to my residence to collect them." Zhongneng contacted Yancang. Iwakura wished he could send someone to fetch it immediately, but the Shinsengumi had been eyeing Zhongshan Mansion these days.Naturally, the Shinsengumi would not have thought that they were planning such an important event, but they became suspicious when they saw people coming in and out of Zhongshan Mansion frequently in the past few days, so they sent a team of soldiers to wander around the mansion day and night.

Iwakura has a son named Yaqianmaru, who is still a child of Zongjiao.Iwakura thought that if this boy was sent there, the team members of the Shinsengumi would relax their vigilance. The plan worked. Yachimaru, who entered Zhongshan's house late at night, received a secret order from Zhongneng, had the secret order sewn on the back of his close-fitting clothes, and then left the house through the back door.The Xinxuan team member guarding the back door saw that it was a child, muttered, and let him go. The secret edict was issued to Satsuma and Changzhou.Although the Changzhou feudal vassals were not allowed to openly operate in the capital, Hirosawa Hesuke had secretly entered the Satsuma feudal mansion as a secret envoy of the feudal state.The secret edict was received by Guangze.

Ryoma doesn't know these things.Knowing nothing, he started from his residence in Omiya, went north along Kawaramachi Street, and his destination was the Satsuma Domain.On the way, when he walked to the corner of Marutamachi, he ran into Tanaka Kensuke by chance. "Ah! Mr. Sakamoto!" Xiansuke couldn't help shouting.He was sent by Nakaoka Shintaro and was about to come to Ryoma.He is a native of Tosa Sagawa. Wenjiu left the feudal clan in three years, and now he joins Nakaoka's Army Aid Corps.He told Longma that a secret edict had been issued. Long Ma broke out in a cold sweat.so close!However, this time Xixiang has lost to Ryoma.Ryoma thought that Xixiang must be in a very complicated mood now.

Saigo Takamori is in Nihonmatsu's feudal mansion.Early in the morning, he convened a discussion with his comrades.What should we do in the future?Qingxi buried the shogunate with his own hands, so Xixiang had no choice but to give up fighting against the shogunate by force.However, everyone didn't have a good idea. What the hell is Ryoma thinking?This is what he wants to know most now. At this moment, the dragon horse came.Xixiang was overjoyed, and quickly invited him into the room, but there was no one else in the room, so the two sat down opposite each other. "The most urgent task is to establish a new government." Ryoma said. Ryoma knows what's on Xixiang's mind.Although the situation is changing suddenly now, Xixiang has long been obsessed with bringing down the curtain by force, and after a long period of careful preparation and dedication, how can he give up easily? "How will the situation change in the future?" Xixiang's unique skill is to know how to grasp the questioning skills.He sat across from him with a normal expression on his face.Those who speak will be attracted to him unconsciously and listen to his eloquence. Ryoma also couldn't help talking eloquently.At this time, if Xixiang, a giant in the political arena, is not brought over, the great government that is finally becoming a reality will be destroyed in one fell swoop. "It is still necessary to prepare for force. The earthquake has just begun, and it is impossible to end it with just one earthquake." Ryoma said.Although Qingxi handed over the power, it was only his personal decision, and he did not convince many ministers.The two Samurai feudal states of Aizu and Kuwana will never retire obediently. "They will definitely challenge us. Then force will come in handy." "yes." "Under the current situation, if there is a war, it will be a war between Satsuma and Aizu. But if a new government is established, it will become a war between the new government and Aizu. The righteousness will naturally be on our side. Most of the 300 daimyo will also support the new government.” "It makes sense." "So we must hurry up and form a new government. If Aizu goes to war today, won't things get out of hand?" "Indeed, the sooner the better." Xixiang gradually began to agree with Ryoma's proposition, and the most urgent task now is to concentrate on establishing a new government. Ryoma took out the new government plan from his arms and showed it to Saigo. Xixiang nodded after reading.He did not have a clear idea of ​​a revolutionary government, but only dreamed of a Confucian kingly model in general. However, Ryoma does not believe in Confucianism, but refers to the political and social models of Europe and America.If the two continue to discuss deeply and carefully at this time, there may be conflicts or an insurmountable gap between them, but conflicts will not happen at present.Because Ryoma's plan is just a skeleton.It is not the building itself, but the construction hut. "What do you think, brother?" "I have no objection. Hurry up and discuss it with everyone. However, you have to fill in the name." Xixiang refers to the members of the new government. "Is there anyone in your mind?" "Have." Ryoma borrowed a room in the mansion and began to write down the list. Afterwards, the number of people in Nihonsong's mansion increased.These people were discussing matters in several rooms in the mansion.Komatsu brings a sword, Xixiang and Okubo discuss in the study, and Nakamura Hanjiro and others discuss in the tiger room. On the lattice door in the house is a tiger painting by Lengquanliu. Ryoma was writing at his desk in a small room facing the imperial palace on the second floor.The sky above the red pine in the palace was cloudless, and the clear blue sky made his sleep-deprived eyes ache.Soon after he finished writing the list, he walked down the second floor.Mutsu Yonosuke was standing under the stairs. "Finished?" Mutsu asked.Ryoma nodded happily, "It's finished." Then he added: "I rethought it while writing these names, and found that there are countless people who are above the heroes of ancient and modern times. It is really a great event in our time .” Ryoma walked through the corridor, and walked into the study after a while, all eyes in the room fell on him. Ryoma handed over the document to them, and while everyone was scrambling to pass it around, he walked to the porch facing the courtyard, leaned against the porch pillar and stretched. The grounds of the mansion are magnificent.The Nihonmatsu Domain of the Satsuma Domain was originally the villa of the Konoe family, so every tree and stone here exudes the brilliance of the orthodox nobles who have been carefully carved for generations. After reading the list, Saigo passed it on to Komatsu and Okubo. After everyone had read it, Saigo held the list in his hand and reviewed it again. There is no Ryoma's name - Xixiang is puzzled.From Satsuma, the Changzhou Alliance to the return of the great government, how many great things Ryoma has accomplished!His name should have been listed first in the "Senate".Even if it wasn't the first place, it should still appear in the list selected by Tosa.but no. Xixiang also took into account the balance of the personnel of each feudal clan, and watched for a long time.In the item of council, Satsuma had three people, but Tosa had only Goto Shojiro.Moreover, the six daimyos in that item are from Satsuma, Choshu, Echizen, Hizen, Awa, and Iyo Uwajima, but there is no Tosa's Yamamodo.Rong Tang is known as the world's virtuous prince, and he usually regards himself as such, but he is not among them, what is going on? Xixiang thought about it for a while, and seemed to understand a little bit.Rong Tang's character is too sharp and sharp, lacking the softness to coordinate with others.In terms of politics, he is too stubborn and it is difficult to compromise.Coupled with moodiness, he often gives up halfway in doing things, does not have the temperament to do big things, and is more good at judging.If he is added, perhaps it will ruin the event. Even so, there were too few people in the Tosa Domain.This may be Ryoma's intention to drag himself out of the political situation.Yes, it is true that the great feat of repaying Taimasa was made by the Tosa clan, but Ryoma seems to want the Tosa clan to be satisfied with this feat and stop there, leaving the next work to Satsuma and Choshu. As Ryoma's secretary, Mutsu Yonosuke was sitting by the door.Mutsu is good at observing words and expressions, so he carefully watches the movements of everyone present. Mutsu originally thought that Xixiang was nothing special.Being narrow-minded and jealous, Mutsu often makes enemies in his heart.In this case, Mutsu became hostile to Saigo Takamori, or it was a kind of competitive heart.He thinks Ryoma is much better than Xixiang.Xixiang is an important official of the male domain, and Ryoma is just a ronin who walks the world alone.The status gap between the two was so great that Ryoma finally surpassed Saigo and cleared up the situation. Seeing Saigo confused, Mutsu felt very happy.Because Mutsu knows everything that puzzles Saigo. "Brother Sakamoto." Saigo turned his short and thick neck and said to Ryoma.Standing on the porch, Ryoma slightly bent his upper body towards Xixiang, and said, "Huh?" His expression seemed to say: What's wrong? Xixiang said: "I looked at the list, but I couldn't find my brother's name. Logically, you should appear on the list in Tuzhou. What's going on?" "Me?" Ryoma said. Mutsu observed Ryoma, and saw that he squinted his short-sighted eyes hard—this is the expression when he hears something unexpected. "I won't participate." Long Ma suddenly said this. "I hate." "What do you hate?" Xixiang asked. "A rigid and aggrieved official." Ryoma replied. "If you don't want to be an official, what do you want to do?" "Good question." Ryoma straightened up unhurriedly, "I want to create a world-class sea aid team." This short sentence is unforgettable for Mutsu.Even many years later, when Mutsu told others about this scene, he said with emotion that Ryoma at this time was really a much taller figure than Saigo. Xixiang was speechless.Komatsu on the side stared at Ryoma with a knife, as if he wanted to eat him. Since ancient times, those who have made great contributions to the revolution have become the new country's Yuanli without exception. This can be said to be a common practice, but Ryoma voluntarily avoided it.Komatsu has always respected and loved Ryoma very much, so he was very happy to hear Ryoma's words. "Ryoma is already dealing with the whole world." Komatsu smiled gently. Mutsu didn't quite understand the meaning of "the world's sea aid team".Ready to start seaborne trade around the world?What the hell is going on? The soil state will take a back seat, and the next leader will be Saxony.This is probably what Ryoma wants to express most at this time.If the divided Tuzhou rushes forward, it will only scatter the energy of the revolution in vain.Ryoma knows this better than anyone else. Xixiang has also noticed this. "Understood." He said softly. There is one more thing that Ryoma needs to ask, which is about finances. "The new government does not lack heroes, but the decisive factor for the success of a government is finance, and there are not many people who are proficient in finance." "Oh." Xixiang had to concentrate on listening to every word that Ryoma, the first-class economic expert among the people with lofty ideals, said. "Do you have a suitable candidate?" "Do you have Satsuma?" Ryoma began to guide Saigo. Satsuma has a five-generation talent to help.He is proficient in modern industries, but when it comes to controlling a country's finances, he is somewhat suspicious. "How about Changzhou?" Saigo asked Hirosawa Hesuke, the liaison officer of Changzhou who happened to be present. "Well..." Hirosawa tilted his head and thought: Katsura Kogoro is a pure politician, not competent in this area of ​​affairs; Yamagata Yutomo is a natural soldier who knows nothing about money; talent, but the financial aspect is still unknown... "There is one person." Ryoma said. Xixiang nodded and said, "This matter depends on you." "This person is a vassal of Echizen Fukui, named Mioka Hachiro." None of the people present had heard the name. "Sangang Hachiro?" Xixiang also gestured with his fingers in the palm of his hand, trying to remember the name.In fact, at this time, Saigo had already noticed that Ryoma had written Sangang Hachiro, a name he was not familiar with, on the list of officials, and was feeling suspicious. "I seem to have heard of this name." Xiaosong took a knife and desperately tried to find something from his memory. Ryoma couldn't help laughing.In the autumn of the third year of Bunjiu, an Echizen Fukui vassal king Zhishi sneaked into Satsuma and visited Komatsu.This person with lofty ideals has a strange name, Hai Fuxue. "Ah! Hai Fuxue!" Xiao Song remembered. "San Hachiro is Hai Fu's comrade. It is estimated that Hai Fu has mentioned San Gang Hachiro from the same clan to you." "Brother Sakamoto is really powerful, there is indeed such a thing." Xiao Song replied very seriously. "What happened to Hai Fuxue after that?" "He's under house arrest," Ryoma said.In the autumn of the third year of Bunjiu, the Fukui Fan's Qinwang faction was suppressed, and Haifu and Sanoka Hachiro should still be under confinement. Ryoma then talked about Sangang's personality.This person originally treated Hashimoto Sauchi as a brother, but was later influenced by Yokoi Kousu.He usually declared that the vassal state's policy of focusing on the grain economy was wrong, and advocated that the focus should be on trade and the development of production.He also investigated the actual situation of Nagasaki trade under the order of the feudal clan, established the product general office, and set up the Nagasaki business office.When Ryoma explained his Western company theory to Echizen Fukui Hou and lent five thousand taels of gold coins, it was Sanoka who received him. "I leave everything to you!" Xixiang said. Ryoma nodded.In this way, he had to rush to Echizen Fukui Domain tomorrow, negotiate with the domain, lift Sanoka's confinement, and drag him to Kyoto. In any case, Xixiang has fully accepted the establishment of a new government that complements Dazhengfeng and returns, and intends to devote himself to it. So Longma was very busy.He asked someone to go out to buy food in the Satsuma Mansion, filled his stomach, and then went to Iwakura Village to visit Iwakura Jushi.After eating, he ran to the kitchen, and just as he was getting some water to drink, Shintaro Nakaoka rushed over from the Army Regiment of Shirakawa Village. Ryoma explained the general process to Nakaoka in the dimly lit kitchen, and asked him to go to Iwakura Village with him. Nakaoka nodded.He has always been somewhat dissatisfied with Ryoma's theory of peaceful revolution, but now that it has succeeded, Nakaoka has no choice but to give up his own ideas and assist Ryoma. "But it's raining outside now." "It doesn't matter if it's raining or it's windy, you must see Qing Iwakura tonight, or you'll miss out on this great opportunity." The two borrowed bamboo hats, lanterns and coir raincoats with the Shimadzu family crest in the mansion, and walked out of the mansion. Nakaoka also brought a servant named Shintaro with him.Shintaro was the son of a blacksmith near Fushimi Avenue. Because he admired Nakaoka, he followed Nakaoka and took care of his daily life. They walked quickly along the moat of Xiangguo Temple, came to Kuramakou, and crossed the Kamo River eastward.By this time it was getting dark.Ryoma and his party then headed north. At this time, Ryoma, who advocated peaceful nation building, and Nakaoka, who advocated the fall of the curtain by force, finally came together. "Sooner or later, a war is inevitable." Both of them had this view.This is because although Qingxi will resign as a general, he has a direct-controlled territory ranging from 4 million shi to 8 million shi, and directly governs the five major commercial cities of Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sakai, and Hakata, and Hakodate. Directly administered open cities such as Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Hyogo are also his private territories, and he owns fortresses such as Edo Castle, Osaka Castle, and Nijo Castle.Therefore, from the perspective of military and economic strength, he is the real king of Japan. Qingxi couldn't say the words of returning everything to the court.Even if he wanted to give up, the vassals would object, not to mention Pu Dai Daimyo. "As long as these resources are still owned by the Tokugawa family, even if the regime is transferred to Kyoto, it will be in vain," Nakaoka said.Longma agrees that the great cause after the return of the great government is mainly to be the king's land under the whole world. "As long as Qingxi is allowed to hold an important position in the new government, he should take the initiative to return the land." Long Ma predicted. "Of course, the vassals and daimyo who hold opposing opinions will definitely draw their swords. By then, Qingxi will already be an important member of the new government, so he will personally attack." "Will things go that smoothly?" "We must go to that step. If there are still people who do not surrender by then, we can only use force." Otherwise, the new government will lose to the old forces.The new government does not even have a single soldier, but the old forces have a strong military force.No matter how hard Satsuma and Changzhou tried, they could not win the shogunate. "We can win!" Nakaoka disagreed with Ryoma. However, Ryoma further retorted: "Even if we win in the end, the national power has been exhausted by this civil war, and Japan no longer has the spare power to participate in the civilization formed by the European and American powers. In any case, the rest will be left to the feudal clans in their hands." Let Saigo, Okubo, and Katsura, who are in power in the country, do it. What I can do is to make the return of the great government a good one. For this, I need the help of Iwakura-san. No, it should be said that the future policy is centered on Iwakura-san , ask him to assist in completing it.” The two finally walked into Yancang Village in the dead of night, knocked hard on the door of Yancang's hermitage, and called Yancang up. Ryoma was led into the living room. At night, it was chilly.Ryoma had worn very little since he left Kochi, and the temperature in the eastern suburbs dropped sharply at night, and it was bitingly cold, and Ryoma really couldn't stand it.As a last resort, he reached into his arms and began to rub his shoulders with his palms.Iwakura couldn't stand it anymore, so he lent his shirt to Ryoma to wear. Not long after, the servant and San came into the room and put a jug of hot wine in front of Ryoma. "Drinking this should warm you up," Iwakura said.Sitting next to Iwakura are his attendants Fujiki Ukyo and Tamamatsusao.Iwakura, Fujiki, Tamamatsu and three or four people lived in this narrow hermitage of only three rooms. Ryoma repeated what he had said to Saigo.Iwakura listened silently, sometimes nodded, sometimes smiled, but kept listening quietly.Long Ma talked for half an hour.After he finished speaking, Iwakura nodded and said, "I understand." It's just that Iwakura seems to have a hard time agreeing with Ryoma's claim to pull the Tosa clan from the front line of the political situation. "It is true that Rong Tang has always respected the king and served as the shogun, and his reasons are often elusive. In the future, he may hinder the progress of the current situation. However, if the Tosa clan is excluded from the new government, Rong Tang may be depressed and fall to the side of the shogunate what." "Mr. Rong Tang should not be this kind of person." Long Ma said.What he meant was that Rong Tang was just capricious. "Regardless of what kind of person Rong Tanggong is, he must join the new government, and the number of representatives from the Tosa domain must also be equal to the number of Satsuma and Changzhou." Ryoma didn't argue any more, and left everything to a seasoned countryman like Iwakura. Ryoma also asked Iwakura to save Qingxi, but Iwakura hesitantly agreed.Ryoma also told Iwakura that Tokugawa Yoshiki is the biggest contributor to Huitian's great cause. "Not necessarily." Iwakura muttered in a low voice, "If the Tokugawa family is not completely overthrown, the return of the great government will be in vain." Ryoma also agrees with this statement, but he thinks that the Tokugawa family should not be confused with Keiki. Afterwards, Ryoma showed Iwakura the plan for the new government system, and then wrote down the basic policies of the new government on the spot, with a total of eight. "These words are simply brilliant gems!" Iwakura was so moved that he put the two documents in the box. Ryoma's visit to Iwakura Mansion was the second day after Qingxi announced the return of the Dazheng in Nijo Castle. On October 15th of the third year of Qingying, Qingxi entered the palace and officially played the matter of returning the great government.Imperial imperial approval. Before that, there were some twists and turns.The day before, when the ministers heard about Qingxi's idea for the first time, they were both happy and confused.The person who was most confused was the regent Nijo Qijing, who held the highest position in the court.Qi Jing's identity is the head of the public minister, but he has achieved nothing. All the people with lofty ideals know that he is an incompetent person, and secretly look down on him. After the Nijo Castle Declaration, Satsuma's Komatsu Dao and others were entrusted by the old middleman Itakura Shengjing to coordinate with the court officials.They came to Qi Jing's mansion and told him about this important event. "This, isn't this embarrassing me?" This is what the old husband said. In fact, his confusion is the true feeling of most public officials.The imperial court is completely incapable of handling state affairs, and now letting them take over the power, they will only feel that it is a big trouble. "Anyway, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow I will call the officials of the DPRK and China to discuss it. I will inform you after the discussion is completed." He said unhurriedly. Xiao Song and the others were worried that he would act slowly like him, and they didn't know what unexpected changes would happen, so they asked Qi Jing to reply immediately. "Reply now? It's just nonsense!" Qi Jing was so frightened that he leaned back.Xiaosong had no choice but to beg again and again, but Qi Jing just shook his head and said, "You can't decide without authorization." Xiaosong said: "If you want to investigate today's arbitrariness in the future, you can apologize with all your heart." "I'm different from the Wu family. I'm Gongqing! Gongqing doesn't have the habit of seppuku." "My lord!" Xiao Song straightened his sitting posture again, looked directly at Qi Jing, and said loudly, "If your lord can't make a decision right now, I will have to make a very painful decision." "Huh?" Qi Jing was frightened.He imagined that Xiaosong's determination should be to draw a knife to stab each other, and then cut himself up on the spot.Qi Jing had no choice but to soften, "Wait! I will do as you say." It's finally over.After leaving Nijo Prefecture, perhaps because the matter had been successful, he was overly excited. Fukuoka Fujiji, who was traveling with Komatsu, patted Komatsu on the shoulder with a knife very rashly, and asked him what he meant by the determination just now. "That, there's no special meaning, just to frighten him." After finishing speaking, Xiao Song lowered his head and snickered. The princes and nobles actually forced the always kind-hearted Komatsu to use this method with a knife. After experiencing these twists and turns, the imperial court deliberated and decided to accept it. At noon on October 15th, Tokugawa Qingxi entered the palace, and the imperial court officially accepted the return of the great government. During this time, all the vassals stationed in the capital were discussing this matter all day long, especially Aizu, Kuwana and other Saba faction vassal states, who were indignant at Qingxi's reckless behavior and hated Satsuma and Tosa deeply. "The matter has come to this, and the only thing to do is to go to war immediately, set fire to the Satsuma Mansion, occupy the imperial palace, and ask the emperor to move to Osaka City to keep the Tokugawa family safe." This kind of argument is rampant. The capital was in an uproar. "Aizu is going to war with Sashu." This rumor has spread among businessmen, and some impatient people have taken their wealth and fled to the countryside for refuge. At this time, a man came up from Sanjo Miai's residence in Masakimachi, a neutral public servant. He was wearing a black crepe kimono jacket and a Sendai hakama. He was dressed very solemnly. He was the leader of the Shinsengumi, Isamu Kondo.As an important force against Satsuma, Kondo has already occupied a pivotal position in Kyoto. Shi Ai meets Kondo. "In recent days, people in the shogunate have begun to hate the court." Kondo said. "There is no need to hate the court. It is the general's own intention to return the power to the court. Although the court felt very embarrassed, it accepted it. This is the truth." "I understand what you said. But the Satsuma clan pardoned Changzhou's crimes with treachery!" This is the question that Kondo et al.Changzhou's long-standing crimes were pardoned, and he was restored to the position of assistant to the court, and was resurrected again, and there were rumors that the army of Changzhou Fan was about to openly enter Beijing recently. "If this is the case, what will happen to the world? What will happen to the imperial court? All the princes and ministers who used to be closely connected with the shogunate will step down from their current positions, and Sanjo Mimi and others who were imprisoned in Dazaifu before will return. The imperial court has the real power. This is a veritable revolution. Even if the previous ministers of the Saba faction will not be wiped out, they will be punished." Kondo threatened. He began to list the names: "Those traitors are Satsuma's Komatsu, Saigo, Okubo, and Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma. Everything was planned by these four people." Kondo used all the strength of the Shinsengumi to investigate the movements of these four people in order to find an opportunity to get rid of them. When Ryoma sneaked into Kyoto from Kochi via Osaka, the news had already spread among the Saba faction in Kyoto at lightning speed. They called Ryoma "Tosa hero".Rumor has it that Tosa hero Sakamoto Ryoma led five thousand troops to sneak into Kyoto.Although it is somewhat exaggerated, it is not groundless.Ryoma has indeed ordered the Fife of the Sea Aid Squad to be fully armed and on standby in the waters of Hyogo, and is summoning the members of the Sea Aid Squad to gather at Sawan, a merchant of the Satsuma Domain in Osaka. On the third day after the return of the great government, that is, October 17th, Komatsu of Satsuma, Takamori Saigo, and Ichizo Okubo packed their bags and left Kyoto together.They traveled west via Osaka.Their plan is to take a fast boat to Changzhou to discuss the plan to occupy Kyoto, go to Dazaifu to invite the five ministers, and return to Kagoshima to discuss with Shimadzu Hisamitsu the secret plan to control the world. This matter has spread throughout the capital.Summer's "trick" is no longer secretive. The Aizu Domain has a "Kyoto Secret Office" in the Kyoto Domain, which is the so-called intelligence department.The letter urgently sent by the intelligence agency to the Edo feudal government wrote: "October 17th, Komatsu from Satsuma, Takamori Saigo, and Ichizo Okubo left Beijing. The reason for this is probably that Shimadzu was invited out. Jiuguang, the five ministers of Dazaifu, and the Changzhou army led to Beijing." The turmoil of the merchants in the capital also calmed down because of the departure of these three people, and the people thought that there would be no war for the time being.As soon as Xixiang and the others left the capital, more than 20 members of the Xinxuan team followed them away, but they missed the opportunity to assassinate the three of them, so they withdrew unwillingly. Although Ryoma had been thinking about going to Echizen Fukui, he was stumped by the things in front of him. When Komatsu, Saigo, Okubo and other dignitaries from the Satsuma domain went west, Ryoma sent Toda Gagaku and Nakajima Sakutaro to accompany them.Toda's mission was to go to Dazaifu, and Nakajima's mission was to go to Nagasaki.Ryoma also entrusted Mochizuki Kiyohei, an official of the Tosa feudal clan who was on an urgent trip to Kochi on business, to urge the feudal army to enter Beijing, and let Tosa Tosa royal party comrades enter Beijing in large numbers. On October eighteenth, a small incident happened. On this day, Iwakura happened to be staying at his mansion in Kyoto.A man who claimed to be "Masaga Iriya, a vassal of Ogaki" came to visit him unexpectedly.Because the visitor claimed that there was an urgent matter, even though Iwakura was very vigilant, he still received him. "Something extraordinary may happen today," the visitor said.He said that there was a man named Ida Gozo in the Ogaki domain mansion, who was the captain of the French lectures in the domain and a well-known Western-style army commander.However, he is a stalker.Ida Gozo conspired with the Aizu and Kuwana feudal clans to attack the Satsuma feudal mansion or Iwakura mansion while the dignitaries of the Satsuma feudal clan were away from Kyoto, and then break into the imperial palace and take the emperor to Osaka Castle.This plan is currently underway. Iwakura was quite surprised.After seeing off Iriya, he immediately changed into the samurai attire and rushed to the headquarters of the Army Regiment in Baichuan Village overnight.His trust in Nakaoka has long been extraordinary. "Nakaoka, what to do? If that happens, all the hard work we've put in so far will be in vain." No matter how you look at it, if there is chaos, the Satsuma Mansion will fail because it is outnumbered.Satsuma's reinforcements were still on standby at Santajiri Port in Changzhou, and the Choshu army had not yet arrived. The large-scale entry of Satsuma's army into Beijing would not be realized until Komatsu, Saigo, and Okubo returned to the domain to persuade the feudal lord.There are less than a thousand Satsuma soldiers remaining in Kyoto now.Even counting Zhonggang's land aid team, there are too few people.There are 2,500 people in Aizu and Kuwana, plus 400 from Ogaki, 200 from the Shinsengumi, and 150 from the Mikai group. No chance. "Anyway, let's go to Satsuma's mansion first and discuss countermeasures." Nakaoka and Iwakura rushed to the Satsuma domain overnight. While Komatsu and others left, Kosuke Yoshii and Masaharu Ichichi took care of Fuchu affairs.They immediately led Iwakura into the inner hall and started a secret discussion. The final result of the discussion was that once the situation changed, the Satsuma soldiers and the Army soldiers would go straight to the palace, guard the gates, and never leave the emperor for half a step until the last person fell down.By this time, it had become a battle for the emperor.Whoever grabs the emperor will be an officer and soldier.The Son of Heaven is like the jade general in chess. "We have a chance of winning." Ichiji Masaharu said to Iwakura confidently.But in fact, he has no chance of winning at all, he just made up his mind to stain the palace with blood. It was later known that the news brought by the man named Iriya was actually a conspiracy of Aizu and Kuwana.Their plan to crusade against Satsuma is indeed true, but they believe that if the matter is spread, the Satsuma people who are arrogant will definitely attack.Aizu and Kuwana came up with the idea of ​​making Satsuma provocative and then attacking him. Ryoma learned of this the next day, and immediately warned Nakaoka not to pay attention to the provocations of other domains before the Satsuma domain soldiers entered Beijing. Ryoma goes out every morning, runs around the capital all day, and doesn't come back until late at night. "It's really too careless." Satsuma's Yoshii Kosuke and others frowned, suggesting that Ryoma move to the Satsuma domain.The people of the Tosa domain all advised him with one voice that it would be safer to move to the Kawaramachi domain. "I can't bear the feudal mansion." Whenever this happened, Ryoma would laugh it off.If the other party persuades me again, he will say: "It seems that you still don't understand me. I'm a person who sleeps with a large rice bowl as a pillow!" Hearing what he said, everyone laughed wryly and fell silent.有这样一件轶事：龙马住在萨摩藩府时，一天早上醒来后，让人将早餐送到自己枕边，在被窝里吃完了。然后，或许是没睡够，他将空海碗翻过来，将头枕在上面接着睡起来。他的脑袋在大海碗上滚来滚去，可依旧睡得死死的，鼾声如雷。像龙马这般我行我素，在过分讲究礼节的藩府是断然行不通的。 “由一斑而知全豹，这便是我的做法。我怎能住在那样令人窒息的院墙内呢？” “那片令人窒息的院墙却能够保护仁兄免遭外敌攻击啊。” “那样的话，还不如死了的好。”龙马说道。他当然知道新选组和见回组正在倾尽全力寻机杀他。“让他们放马过来吧。”他甚至对别人说下这番豪言壮语。在他看来，整日为自己的性命担忧的男人都不是真正的男人。 “我死之时，便是将命归还于天之时，登上高位，则死无所惧。” “人生于世，是为了成就大事。”龙马如此判定人生的意义。人终归有一死，人不应该过于考虑生死，只要考虑事业就好，若是死亡突然降临，那么就保持着为事业奋斗的姿态来迎接。白天他经常步履匆匆地走过京城的街道，他从未想过死亡，一刻也没想过。 有一次，他走出家门，先是去了一趟土佐藩府，从那里出来后便马不停蹄地奔向二本松的萨摩藩府。路过御池时，他看到拐角处站着十名新选组队士，道路很窄。 这不是龙马吗！新选组的人突然回过神来，互相使了个眼色，已见龙马大步走了过来。 “请问阁下可是土州的坂本先生？”一人问道。 龙马没有停下脚步，飞快地瞥了他一眼。“什么事？我很忙。”他边说边走了过去。 一众人惊得目瞪口呆，刀也忘了拔，目送着他的背影远去了。他或许是想训斥他们，告诉他们他正在为天下奔走。或许只是故意以此气势震慑他们。 那天傍晚时分，龙马极罕见地早早回到了近江屋，开始给江户的千叶重太郎写信。“京都要有好戏上演了。速来。”他写道。在信的末尾，他又添了一句，“替我问候佐那子小姐”。 刚刚放下笔，藤吉便上来通报：“有一位小姐想要见您，现已到门外。看起来有些年纪了，却是个绝顶的美人。” 龙马想了想，实在想不出是谁。 来访者竟然是田鹤小姐。 “糟了！”龙马慌了，他从檐廊上跳下来，一把抓住恰巧在旁的近江屋女仆，撂下一句“把客人带到主屋二楼”，自己便往井边跑去。 “藤吉，你帮我把这个弄一弄。”他一面撩起水哗啦哗啦地洗着脸，一面指了指自己的发髻。藤吉取来梳子，将他的发髻解开，用梳子蘸着水梳了起来。 藤吉觉得龙马今天异常的举动十分可疑，心想，这一定是一位非同小可的客人，便问道：“是一位怎样的客人呢？” “别提了，是个啰唆的人。”龙马单膝着地，任凭藤吉摆弄他的头发。梳齿很难将他的一头卷发梳开。 “那么，可是先生的相好？” “这个……”龙马一反常态地羞红了脸。“她见了别人就喜欢唠唠叨叨地训斥。” 龙马大意了。原来田鹤小姐没去二楼，早就已经来到龙马背后。藤吉扭头一看，惊呼了一声，便闭上了嘴。 田鹤小姐把手指轻轻放在唇上，一边抿嘴笑着一边走近前来，从呆呆站立着的藤吉手里接过梳子。然后，她握起龙马的头发，动作麻利地梳了起来。 龙马自然已经觉察出周围气氛的变化，真拿这位大小姐没办法。他耸了耸肩膀，不过还是任她摆布。 田鹤小姐似乎十分中意如此重逢，梳得甚是投入，为了扎起发髻来，她将头发使劲往后一拽。 “疼！”龙马发出一声哀号。田鹤小姐没有理会他，在发髻上缠好了头绳，然后将嘴唇凑上去，咬断了绳子。 田鹤小姐身上那股熟悉的香气，顷刻间便将龙马拉回到过去。 “田鹤小姐，头发扎得太紧，眼睛都被吊起来了，请再松松吧。” “请忍耐一下。您已经不年轻了，若还是这么不注重仪容，会被别人瞧不起的。” 龙马将田鹤小姐请到了二楼的客厅。他问她为何突然从大宰府三条实美那里来到京都，田鹤回说是为探查京都局势，并向三条家的人汇报实美的情况。 田鹤于昨晚抵京后，在三条家卸下行装，得知了大政奉还之事以及长州被赦免、五公卿被免罪等种种喜讯。 “我当时大吃一惊，几乎不敢相信。”吃惊自然是因为时局发生了巨变，还有一个原因是，她得知这一切的幕后策划者竟然是龙马。“看来龙马先生真不可小觑啊。”田鹤不依不饶地饥讽道。 龙马虽然对田鹤的嘲讽十分无奈，可是也不得不向三条卿的这位密使分析了一番形势。其实他没必要这样做。大宰府那边自有在田鹤小姐到来之前便离京而去的西乡去通报，龙马派出的户田雅乐也应该会详细汇报。 “我明天一早要离开京都。”龙马将要去越前一事告诉了田鹤，还说，等一切结束后，他会远离政局，出海远航。 第二天一早，龙马整顿装束，踏上了前往越前福井的旅途。 同行之人有藤吉，还有土佐藩国监察、同志冈本健三郎。 龙马的身份是土佐藩使者，在福井的任务有两个。一是说服藩内德高望重的松平春岳老人参与新政府，二是将三冈八郎解救出来，并将他带回京都。 这两个任务并不轻松。不管春岳如何眷顾龙马，大藩的一藩之主不可能仅凭龙马这一介浪士的几句话，就欢欣雀跃地奔赴京都担任新政府要职。因此，龙马随身带了容堂的亲笔书信。这也是去往越前的准备时间久了些的原因。龙马说服后藤象二郎从土佐弄来了容堂的亲笔书信。为了送这封信，专门有藩船来大坂。后藤还给了龙马土佐藩使者这个名义。若是依照老规矩，这类藩使通常由参政或大监察来担任。让无官无职的龙马前去，是一切从现实出发的后藤的果敢决断。 藩使要有监察同行，冈本健三郎便是这个角色。这是三百年幕藩体制的惯例。即便是有名无实，只要有监察同行，使者便获得了合法身份。 “给我找个监察。”临行前龙马拜托后藤。说白了，闪本健三郎就好比一件礼服。 天未亮时他们从京都出发，进入近江草津时，已经过了晌午，他们在这里吃了午饭。小憩之后，再度赶路。龙马健步如飞，瘦小的冈本和过度肥胖的藤吉都跟得很吃力。 “稍微慢一些吧。”冈本一面拼命紧跟一面拜托龙马，龙马却没有放缓脚步。“必须要快啊！要抓紧啊！”龙马像唱歌般地说道。是京都的形势让他不敢有半点耽搁，也是历史在追逼着他。 “这将是我最后要做的事。”龙马眺望着前方有“近江富士”之称的二上山，说道。做完此事，将剩下的全部交给西乡、大久保、桂和三冈等人，然后重返大海…… 大道在晴朗的天空下向远处延伸。龙马大踏步地向前走。冈本和藤吉紧紧跟在龙马身后，行走在湖畔的田野上。 越前福井是松平家三十二万石的城邑。向北渡过足羽川，可见城邑高耸在眼前，城中住家密集，其繁华让人想起大坂。 越前松平家到了春岳这一代，藩国的财政发生巨变。此前以种粮为主，而如今逐渐将工商业作为基础，就像西洋那样。这应该源于春岳那先觉者一般的判断力。也正因为如此，他才会请来肥后熊本的横井小楠培养藩国的经济官员，向胜海舟询问海外的情况，会疼爱深为横井和胜赏识的龙马，会赞同龙马的“公司论”，为神户海军学堂出资五千两，会支援长崎的龟山商社……也是因为这个缘故，这座城邑不仅没有大藩城邑特有的幽静，反而充满了活力，甚至不乏杂乱的场景。 龙马走进他在文久三年来这里时住过的山町客栈烟草屋。 住下后，他立刻让冈本健三郎去藩厅说明了来意。 春岳很快便允许他们拜见。 “可否帮我借一身礼服来？”龙马去见春岳前，对店中侍女说道。他是土佐藩使者，若是不穿上礼服打扮齐整，终归不像样。 侍女到附近街坊家中为龙马借了来。 “家纹不一样。”侍女说道。可龙马丝毫不在意地穿起来，穿戴完毕后，他叹了口气。他还是头一次穿这种衣服，连扇子也是从客栈借的。 不一会儿，藩厅来人迎接，龙马便随他们走了。 春岳刚一看见龙马这身礼服，忍不住大笑起来，这装束在他眼里实在稀奇古怪得很。“龙马啊，你何苦穿成这个样子来见我！” 龙马没觉得自己这副样子有多可笑，他开始一本正经地陈述京都的新形势。右手边是家老中根雪江，左手边是文书，正在快速记录龙马的话。龙马说话不怎么讲究，而且喜欢用俗语和比喻，频频令春岳发笑。 随后，中根雪江提问，龙马回答。他尽量详细地介绍并分析了目前的形势，并且暗示了越前福井藩今后应该走的道路。他还顺便提起了希望三冈八郎能为新政府效力，此时春岳不由得皱紧了眉头，道：“他可是藩国的罪人。” 就连如此明白事理的春岳也不喜欢三冈的过激。这似曾相识的场景让人想起土佐的山内容堂，可见让藩主参加革命有多难。萨摩的岛津久光也强不到哪里去，虽然西乡和大久保巧妙哄劝，可是他骨子里还是佐幕的。 “三冈八郎不是新政府的罪人。”龙马更正道。 春岳无奈之下，只好同意释放三冈，但办完手续尚需几日。急着赶路的龙马可等不了，他想明日就去见三冈。 “真拿你没办法。明天且放三冈外出一日。”春岳命令中根雪江。 一切谈妥，龙马方告辞出来。 三冈八郎的府第在城里的毛矢町。 因为正在接受惩罚，故大门被钉死，窗户也钉上了板子，与外部的联系更是完全禁止。 然而，这天晚上，从藩厅来了一位官员，拿出了一份传唤状：“此番坂本龙马抵福。因国家之事申请与三冈八郎会面。愿否相见，速回复之。” 三冈看到这份文书，忍不住想要大喊出来。他虽然是幽禁之身，却也听说了些有关京都之变的只言片语，可恨得不到确切消息，所以怀疑过传言是否属实，然而如今龙马来了，而且藩厅还给龙马提供了方便，看来京都确实有巨变。 第二日一早，三冈天未亮便起床，沐浴后梳起了发髻。辰时左右，来了两名藩吏。因为三冈还是戴罪之身，所以必须有官员陪同才能和龙马见面。这两人是藩国的高官管家松平源太郎和监察出渊传之丞。 “我等出于职责与你同行。”他们冷冷地说道。不一会儿，他们将三冈带了出来。已经有五年没见过外边景色的三冈欣喜若狂，差点就在街上奔跑起来。 快到辰时四刻，他们走进山町，不久便来到了烟草屋前。这时，三冈实在忍不住了。“龙马！”他对着二楼大喊起来。 听到喊声，龙马从二楼探出头来。“啊呀，是三冈啊！我有一车的话要跟你说呢。”他冲着楼下喊道，既兴奋又欣悦，三冈一瞬间还以为天下大事已成。 “我是有罪之人，所以有人陪同。” “哦？那就请他们也上楼来吧。从今天开始，所有人就都是日本人啦！”龙马有些兴奋过头了，说的话简直就像酒后胡言。他自己也意识到了，于是哈哈大笑起来。这是一种经历了漫长的黑暗后终于见到太阳的喜悦，龙马对这喜悦感受得最为深刻。而身为罪人的三冈胸中的感激又岂能用言语形容。 一众人上了楼。 龙马与三冈相对而坐。两名官员出于职责，齐齐端坐在房间一角旁听。 龙马用了一个时辰来讲述大政奉还的前因后果，直讲得喉咙发干，一杯接一杯地喝水。 听他讲完，三冈问道：“那么今后有什么计划？” “还没定下来，不过首先仗是不打的。” “可是，对方是有作战打算的。即便我们不想打，要是他们主动挑衅也没办法。到那时要逃吗？” “不能逃。但是如今我们既没有资金也没有军队。” 三冈便讲起他的财政政策。 龙马拍着膝盖高兴地大叫：“你尽数说出来！” 三冈八郎有着一颗不可思议的脑袋。他对国家经济了如指掌，谈起来如数家珍。而幽禁期间，他实在无聊，便突发奇想，发明了一种新式炉灶。这种新式炉灶比此前的炉灶更能节省燃料，火力也更强。 三冈一番高论后，提出发行纸币以代替金币流通。新政府尚未建立信用，所以要去说服京都和大坂的富豪，让他们做发行纸币的发起人。只要借助他们的信用和财力，瞬间便能够筹集至少一千万两左右的资金。 “要想做到这一点，天子必须有足够的威势。我们必须想办法让万民明白，只有天子一人才是日本的一国之主。” 三冈和龙马的交谈一直持续到亥时，三冈只有在如厕的时候才会离席。监视三冈的藩国总管松平源太郎和监察出渊传之丞也会一起去。出渊在茅厕前面拍了拍三冈的肩膀说：“傲慢无礼的家伙，竟然敢当着藩国监察的面大谈特谈谋反之事，成何体统啊！”说着竟高声笑起来。其实，松平和出渊都是佐幕之士，可是他们今天听了会谈以后惊愕不已，意识到时势正在转变，更没想到罪人三冈竟然是如此了得之人，因此二人这一天颇为惶惑不安。 尤其是松平源太郎，对龙马十分敬服，甚至要敬他为师。 龙马闻言苦笑。“我只是一个小小的船员，天下之事还要仰仗贵藩的三冈。”可是这个严谨正直的人并没有领会龙马的这番暗示，仍旧不依不饶地逼龙马答应。松平就是因了这一晚的缘分，与新政府有了关联，后来就职于维新政府，历任宫城、熊本县知事，晚年又成为了枢密顾问官。维新后他改名为正直，受封男爵。后话不述。 夜色已深，三冈终于要告辞了。龙马十分不舍，从怀里掏出一件东西。 “这是什么？”三冈一看，是龙马的照片。 “是我的照片。世事难料。万一我真有个三长两短，就把它当做是我的遗物吧。”龙马说道。 “好。”三冈喃喃道。他注视着龙马。龙马的眼角浮现出微笑，和往常不同的是，那是一种足以铭刻在人心间的微笑。三冈忽然感到一阵目眩，心中涌上一股不可言说的感情，仿佛对面坐着的是另一个世界的人。 第二日清晨，龙马出发回京都。三冈留下了一张龙马的照片，以及崭新的命运。 龙马于初五抵京，初六拜见了岩仓具视，恳求他向越前藩发一份让三冈加入新政府的任命书。岩仓立即写了任命书，通知越前藩京都藩府火速送回藩国。不过，越前的佐幕派重臣并不乐意看到新政府成立，便故意没有给三冈看这封任命书，就这样拖了一月有余。为此，新政府前后催促了五次，藩臣才将任命书拿给三冈。虽然有这样一些波折，不过三冈崭新的命运已成定局。 龙马离开福井后大约过了十天，三冈收到藩国家老冈部丰后的邀请。“虽说阁下仍在闭门自省，还是请你到寒舍讲一讲你的想法。”身为藩国首脑，为了判定新形势的走向，不得不向犯人三冈征询意见。 三冈十分高兴，他觉得可以利用这次机会启蒙藩中重臣，傍晚时分便出门了。刚走出宅院，他忽然意识到，忘了拿龙马的照片，于是又返回屋中取照片。这段时间，他已经将龙马的照片当成护身符一般带在身上，还特意用金线织花的锦缎做了一个相框。他将照片放入怀中，便去往同部丰后的别院。 冈部准备好了酒菜，招待这位犯人。三冈便将从龙马那里听来的各种消息转达给冈部，说明了龙马的新国家理想，并且阐明了今后越前藩应该走的道路。冈部回家的路上，夜色渐渐浓了。年轻武士拿灯笼照着三冈脚下的路，三冈急匆匆地走着，不久便上了横跨足羽川的桥。 过了桥，二人走到堤坝前。这时一直寂静无声的夜空忽然传来一声长啸。“那是什么？”向来天不怕地不怕的三冈对年轻武士大喊。年轻武士弓着背，用袖子遮住灯笼的火苗，答道：“是风。” 空中传来风的呼啸声。在这样一个晴朗的夜晚，实在令人匪夷所思。夜空中挂着一轮圆月，没有一丝云彩。 "impossible." “不，就是风。”年轻武士嘟囔一句，仍旧拼命护住灯笼。看武士的样子，应该是有风。在接下来的一瞬间，三闪被风包围了。一阵突如其来的狂风向堤坝席卷而来，吹乱了他的头发和衣服，也吹灭了年轻武士手中的灯笼。三冈拼命稳住身子，以防摔倒。未几草鞋的系带断了，他踉跑着被吹到了堤坝边缘。 片刻，风停了。此时，皓月当空，万鑛俱寂，刚才的一切似乎都是幻象。 三冈感到莫名的战栗，他大叫起来：“点上灯笼！” "What's wrong with you?" “我怀里的东两掉了！” 都没了。钱袋没了，被三冈视若至宝的龙马的照片也不见了。在随后的整整半个时辰里，三冈在堤坝四周找了个遍，终究还是没有找到。他只好回家。 两天以后，三冈得知，龙马与中冈慎太郎一同牺牲于京都住所。那天晚上，几乎是在同一时刻，龙马的灵魂升上长天。 返回京都的龙马连日来忙得不可开交。十一月十三，中午，一位上身穿黑色绉纱和服外褂，下穿仙台平袴的武士手执白扇，登门拜访。“鄙人乃是伊东甲子太郎。”他对负责通传的藤吉报上姓名。 藤吉听了这个名字，不由大吃一惊。伊东原是新选组的人，先不管他是善人还是恶人，总之是个鼎鼎大名的人物。 此人原是江户深川佐贺町的町武馆馆主，对门人一度骄纵偏袒，并且是北辰一刀流的高手，国学的素养亦颇高，后来应新选组近藤勇之请，于元治元年年底率领众多门人友人加盟新选组，当了参谋。 伊东后来在新选组整整担任了两年半的副头领，后来他敏锐地觉察出了时势的变化，于庆应三年三月退出新选组。他并非个人退出，而是邀约了众多队士集体脱离了新选组。他随即从朝廷谋得了皇陵卫士之职，此职隶属皇陵奉行户田大和守忠至。如今他借了东山高台寺的月真院，驻屯在那里。他们的伙食由萨摩藩暗地里提供，所以不管名义上如何，实质上是一个讨幕团体，在新选组看来则是叛徒。 “不知他来有什么事？让他进来吧。”恰巧在场的中冈慎太郎说道。 不一会儿，伊东进来。他并非一个人，新选组赫赫有